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Boa Constrictor Occidentalisrobert W WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 18919(1):1–10 • MARCH 2012 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES Conservation. Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer Statussayi) in Wisconsin: of the Argentine Boa On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 . The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: ConstrictorA Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................(Boa constrictor occidentalisRobert W. Henderson 198 ) 20 Years RESEARCHAfter ARTICLES Being Listed in CITES Appendix I . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 . The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida Tomás ............................................. Waller, PatricioBrian A. J.Micucci, Camposano, MarianoKenneth L. Krysko, Barros, Kevin M.Juan Enge, Draque, Ellen M. Donlan, and and Candelaria Michael Granatosky Estavillo 212 Fundación Biodiversidad–Argentina, Juncal 754, 7th Floor Apt. 60, 1060 Buenos Aires, Argentina ([email protected]) CONSERVATION ALERT . World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 . More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 wenty years after. The the“Dow Jonesspecies Index” ofwas Biodiversity listed ........................................................................................................................................... in CITES ever, recent trends in habitat loss led 225 us to conclude that the TAppendix I, weHUSBANDRY carried out a comprehensive review of Argentine Boa Constrictor meets at least one of the CITES the conservation status. Captive of Care the of theArgentine Central Netted BoaDragon Constrictor ....................................................................................................... criteria for retention in Appendix Shannon Plummer I, at226 least until the recently (Boa constrictor occidentalisPROFILE) in Argentina. We compiled back- enacted forest protection law proves its effectiveness in pro- ground information on. Kraig trade, Adler: A biology, Lifetime Promoting and Herpetologydistribution. ................................................................................................ We tecting the remaining Chaco Michael L.forests Treglia 234of Argentina. evaluated the historical range on the basis of museum and lit- erature records, andCOMMENTARY later adjusted it to incorporate environ- Boa constrictor is the most widely distributed boid in the . The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238 mental variables. We carried out 573 interviews with local Americas, where it occupies plains, foothills, and intermon- residents regardingBOOK the historical REVIEW presence of the species and tane valleys from northern Mexico to central Argentina, . Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, the ways in which it wasR. Berridge,used. P.Using Ramani, anda rapid B.E. Young assessment .............................................................................................................. of including numerous coastal Robert islands Powell 243 in the Caribbean Sea woody vegetation cover, we estimated the degree of habitat and Pacific Ocean. Within this area, it occurs in all countries loss in Argentina. WeCONSERVATION conclude that RESEARCH CITES REPORTS: has been Summaries very of Publishedexcept Conservation Chile Research and Uruguay.Reports ................................. The species’ 245 range extends across effective in stopping NATURALthe international HISTORY RESEARCH trade and REPORTS almost: com Summaries- of Published66 degrees Reports onof Natural latitude, History 22................................. vegetation 247zones, and 11 morpho- NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 pletely eliminating huntingEDITORIAL pressure INFORMATION on this snake ..................................................................................................................................................... throughout climatic domains, making it first in terms251 of ecological plas- Argentina. However, FOCUS suitable ON CONSERVATIONboa habitat has: A beenProject Youreduced Can Support ...............................................................................................ticity in comparison to other boids 252 and in relation to the by one third to approximately 30 million ha from a histori- majority of American species of snakes (Waller and Micucci cal extent of occurrence of about 42 million ha in the Dry 1993, Henderson et al. 1995). Chaco ecoregion. Loss of suitable habitat is mainly due to The taxonomy of Boa constrictor is problematic. Around Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Back Cover. Michael Kern recent expansion in agricultural andTotat livestock et velleseque audantproduction. mo fourteenTotat et velleseque subspecies audant have mo been described to date, mostly on the This subspecies is still common throughoutestibus inveliquo its velique range; rerchil how - basisestibus of inveliquo weak diagnosticvelique rerchil characters (Peters and Orejas-Miranda erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo. During the winter, boas usually are found perching in the low branches Young individuals of the Argentine Boa Constrictor usually exhibit dots on of shrubs near mammal burrows; Fortín Soledad, Province of Formosa. their backs that are paler than those of adults — and sometimes even pink. Photograph by Mariano Barros. Photograph by Tomás Waller. Copyright © 2012. Tomás Waller. All rights reserved. 1 WALLER ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 19(1):1–10 • MARCH 2012 An adult female Argentine Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor occidentalis) subduing a Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous), Province of Salta, Argentina. Photograph by Hugo Hulsberg. 2 WALLER ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 19(1):1–10 • MARCH 2012 among six continental subspecies, suggested that two distinct clades existed, and proposed a division into at least two addi- tional species, Boa constrictor from mainland South America east of the Andes and Boa imperator to the north and west of the Colombian Andes through Central America and México. Their conclusions, however, must be considered tentative, since they were based solely on a partial mitochondrial gene obtained mostly from captive animals. The Argentine Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor occiden- talis) represents the southernmost taxon in this complex, inhabiting the Great Chaco region from Paraguay to central Argentina and presumably Bolivia (Waller et al. 1995, Di Cola et al. 2008). Chébez et al. (2008) suggested that, due to morphology, distribution, and ecology, this subspecies should be re-elevated to full species status as originally described (Philippi 1873). This subspecies did exhibit the most distinct haplotype within the South American Boa constrictor clade in the study by Hynková et al. (2009). With a maximum size of about 3 m in total length, the Argentine Boa Constrictor is undoubtedly the most conspic- uous terrestrial snake in Argentina. It is present in the cul- ture of the local human communities that share its habitat. Traditionally hunted by local inhabitants for its fat, to which medicinal properties are attributed (Bolkovic 1999), it also The Argentine Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor occidentalis) can attain total has been exploited on a large scale due to the high value of lengths to 3 m and masses to 18 kg; Guadalcazar, Province of Formosa. its skin, which is used in manufacturing fine leather goods Photograph by Tomás Waller. (Gruss and Waller 1988). In 1987, at the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of 1970, 1986; Langhammer 1983; Price and Russo 1991); only the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in eight or nine of the subspecies are consistently recognized, Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and some authors have suggested these be considered full spe- (Ottawa, Canada), B. c. occidentalis was listed in Appendix cies (i.e., Boa nebulosa and B. orophias; Price and Russo 1991, I of this Convention. As a result of this listing, commercial Binder and Lamp 2007, Bonny 2007, Daniells et al. 2008, international trade was banned. Henderson and Powell 2009). Hynková et al. (2009), using After 20 years of CITES Appendix I listing, Fundación mitochondrial DNA to discern the phylogenetic relationships Biodiversidad–Argentina, under the supervision
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